Cara Hoffman's work enacts George Orwell's imperative to "pay attention to the obvious" (an idea that several sympathetic characters repeat in her 2011 novel "So Much Pretty"), probing aspects of twenty-first century life in the United States that have become so accepted as to be unremarkable, such as epidemic levels of…

This article explores the learning pathways of 15 Canadian and American female crime fiction authors. Using a critical feminist perspective, it argues that despite the neoliberal rhetoric of individual choice, as in most careers, there are social-structural factors that create opportunities and barriers for women mystery writers. The article…

In this qualitative study, the career journey of one New Zealand woman was analysed. Three key findings emerged: the power of narrative as a vehicle for this woman's story, her movement towards greater authenticity and spiritual fulfilment as a mature woman, and the ongoing struggle for concurrent fulfilment from communal and agentic perspectives.…

This contemporary female author gives her opinion on a variety of subjects like Black writers, Black women, slavery, and the arts. (AM)

Interview with Alice Childress (born 1920), an actress, playwright, novelist, editor, and lecturer. Her "Gold through the Forest" (1952) was the first play by a Black woman to be produced professionally on the American stage. Her latest play, "Moms," was produced in New York City in 1987. (BJV)

This interview with Chickasaw novelist and poet Linda Hogan discusses creativity and the composing process, her new novel "Mean Spirit," the complications of identity and personal history for two female mixed-blood writers (interviewer and interviewee), and how considerations of audience impact (or shouldn't impact) American Indian writers. (SV)

This theme issue of the "Centro Bulletin" highlights recent studies by and about employed Puerto Rican and Latina women. "La mujer en el Puerto Rico del siglo XIX" (O. Jimenez de Wagenheim), in Spanish, reviews the contributions of women to Puerto Rican economic, political, and social life during the nineteenth century.…

This article presents an interview with Jacqueline Wilson, a popular British author of children's books. Wilson has published 86 books for children and young adults with more than 20 million copies sold in the U.K. alone. Wilson's fans--mostly seven- to 14-year-old girls--love her gripping plots about dysfunctional families, homelessness, and…

The dreams and contributions of 15 outstanding New York City women are presented through interviews. The women are involved in various fields, such as the professions, the arts, business, sports, and politics. They also represent the diversity of cultures and nationalities of the city. The profiles provide examples of how women in the 1980s are…

Interviews Marian Wright Edelman about her work with the Children's Defense Fund and her book "The Measure of Our Success." The importance of having a sense that the world can be better is emphasized. Children must be given a voice and a way to participate in solving society's problems. (SLD)